This report provides overviews and critical statistical information on the electricity market, as well as detailed information on smart grid, smart meter projects and the key players in this market. It covers the areas where smart grids are going to play an important role such as in the developments in PV (Solar Energy) and smart cars as well as their implications on national infrastructure.

This report first goes into detail about the two key infrastructure elements needed for smart communities, high-speed telecommunications infrastructure and smart grids. Special attention is give to developments in M2M (Internet of Things) and the potential role of artificial intelligence.

Published since 1983, Australia’s first telecommunications and new media newsletter covers national and international business strategies and government policies in relation to fixed and wireless broadband and other smart infrastructure, the digital economy, digital and mobile media, smart grids, e-health and e-education.

This report analyses the telecom market in the Caribbean, including recent regulatory measures and statistics, telecom infrastructure updates and developments in key sectors including mobile, broadband, cable TV, IPTV and fixed-telephony.

This report introduces the key aspects of Cyprus’s telecoms market. It outlines the regulatory environment, profiles the major players, and provides relevant operational data and financial statistics on the operators as well as the market generally.

This report reviews the United Arab Emirates’ fixed-line, broadband and mobile sectors, providing market insights, key statistics, and broadband market forecasts, together with profiles of the major players.

Published since 1983, Australia’s first telecommunications and new media newsletter covers national and international business strategies and government policies in relation to fixed and wireless broadband and other smart infrastructure, the digital economy, digital and mobile media, smart grids, e-health and e-education.

The line between mobile communications – voice services as opposed to broadband services – is becoming blurred by the rapid uptake of smartphones.
This makes it more difficult to produce reports with a clear delineation between the two sectors.

Major report update

This report provides an overview of Ukraine’s telecom market, including profiles of the major operators, a review of telecom network infrastructure, regulatory measures, and recent network developments.

News of important industry event

Israel’s mobile market is served by five mobile network operators – Partner’s Orange, Bezeq’s Pelephone, Cellcom, HOT Mobile, and Golan Telecom – as well as by a number of Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs).

New chapter or analysis

Tanzania’s Vodacom and Bharti Airtel submit bids to buy Zantel
Tanzania’s economy has been showing solid growth rates of between 5% and 8% every year since 2000, despite the global economic crisis which has affected many economies since 2008.

Spain’s market for bundled services has grown alongside considerable investment in faster IP networks, largely based on ADSL2+ but including VDSL and an increasing number of fibre launches in the major cities.

With the internet having become critical national and international infrastructure a whole range of privacy and issues have come to the fore in relation to the digital economy and the digital society.
Some of these issues are in relation to national and international security and tens of billions are spent by governments using the internet as a surveillance tool.

The further we move into discussions about the implementation of the NBN, the more issues crop up that need to be discussed in this context.
One topic that received a great deal of attention is the need (or not) for an RF video layer to be deployed over the fibre network.

Senegalese government confirms that ASO will meet June 2015 deadline
Senegal continues to benefit from solid economic development, with GDP estimated to have grown 4.5% in 2014. This has translated into consistent growth in the telecom market.

In liberalising and deregulating its telecommunications sector, Ghana proved to be one of the pioneering countries within African. The privatisation of Ghana Telecom (GT) in 1996 was the catalyst for an extraordinary growth in market competition across the mobile, internet and fixed-line sectors.

Ghana was among the first countries in Africa connected to the internet and to introduce ADSL services. The sector is highly competitive, with more than 140 licensed ISPs though only a few players provide the bulk of services.

Since launching the first cellular mobile network in sub-Saharan Africa in 1992, Ghana has developed one of the continent’s most vibrant mobile markets, with six competing operators including regional heavyweights such as MTN, Vodafone, Bharti Airtel (formerly Zain) and Millicom (Tigo).

The digital economy affects everybody, including existing players such as telcos, banks, media wholesalers, services and retail. All businesses will eventually need to adapt to the new environment as new players enter these markets from different angles.

Ukraine’s sizeable broadband market enjoys effective cross-platform competition. DSL remains the dominant access platform, though cable is also widely available and there has been considerable investment in FttP and FttB in recent years.

Ukraine’s telecoms market is supported by a population of almost 46 million. National telecom infrastructure is being modernised through considerable investment in both the mobile and fixed-broadband sectors.

Ukraine’s competitive mobile market is dominated by the three network operators MTS Ukraine, VimpelCom’s Kyivstar and Astelit, while the incumbent Ukrtelecom’s subsidiary, trading as TriMob, trails as a fourth player.

TPG Telecom Limited provides telecoms and multimedia services in the Australian marketplace. Services including voice, internet and data solutions are provided to a customer base ranging from the consumer market through to small and medium enterprises, corporate and government sectors.

Driven by the successful US-based Netflix video streaming service from America, Several Australian companies have launched new video streaming services or updated their services.
The traditional IPTV model is making something of a comeback, with new video streaming services launched over higher-speed broadband networks and the introduction of competitively priced triple-play models.

Regulator reduces MTRs, placing strain on mobile revenue
Montenegro has made steady progress in its ambition to join the EU, with negotiations on two of 12 areas having been concluded by late 2014. As part of the EU pre-accession process, the country has received financial aid to build public institutions and improve cross-border co-operation under EU funding mechanism Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance.

Ethiopia’s Ethio Telecom launches LTE services
Ethiopia is one of the last countries in Africa allowing its national telco, Ethio Telecom (ETC) a monopoly on all telecom services including fixed, mobile, internet and data communications.

Smart transport systems, or intelligent transport systems, encompass a range of wireless and wired communications-based information technologies that can be integrated into transportation infrastructure and vehicles.

Romania’s mobile communications market is served by five mobile network operators utilising a mixture of GSM, CDMA and WCDMA technologies. Current penetration levels indicate saturation although multiple SIM-card ownership is evident.

Soon after its inception NBN Co started a pre-tender process that resulted in a list of approved suppliers. The project is divided into relatively large sub-projects. The approved suppliers are basically in charge of those subsections and they are responsible for their own subcontractors and other suppliers that need to be involved in these projects.

Streaming video or IPTV has been under development since the early 00s, as higher speed broadband services slowly became available. At that stage it was seen by the telcos as an opportunity to compete with the cable TV operators who started to enter the broadband market at the same time.

The digital economy began to take hold a decade or so ago, and some organisations were fast to react to it, while others were slow. The naysayers saw the impact of the internet on their business as a fad that would soon fade away; others, such as Google, Amazon, Facebook and Yahoo, saw it as the new business model.

Although there has been steady growth in subscription TV services into 2015, in coming years customer viewing on the platform will have been greatly changed following the launch of services by OTT providers such as Presto, Stan and Netflix as well as SVoD options being marketed by FTA broadcasters.

Telstra is Australia’s largest telecommunications provider offering a full range of telecom services throughout Australia. The company provides basic access services to most homes and businesses, local and long-distance telephone call services, and mobile and internet services including just 3.

Bulgaria’s telecoms market in recent years has been affected by the poor macroeconomic climate as well as consumer trends which have led to the continuing decline in fixed-line voice services and placed stress on messaging services.

Canada’s comparatively low mobile penetration offers room for further subscriber growth in the voice market. The government has endeavoured to encourage market competition by ensuring that blocks of spectrum have been reserved for new entrants, while blocking deals which would have concentrated spectrum either regionally or nationally among the three main networks operators.

The UK has one of the largest mobile markets in Europe, both in revenue and in the number of subscribers. It is served by four major providers – following the significant merger of Orange and T-Mobile – which have all launched 3G services, as well as by a growing number of low-cost MVNOs.

New Zealand’s mobile market continues to undergo significant developments. Spark has closed down its CDMA network and launched an in-house MVNO, Skinny, as also a commercial LTE service which covers most of the country.

With the NBN and LTE now well and truly underway it is important to look at what will be the real value of this new infrastructure.
The infrastructure that is now being built offers a range of features such as ubiquitousness, affordability, low latency, high speed and high capacity.

Uruguay’s pay TV operators contest new media law
Uruguay’s GDP per capita was one of the highest performing in the region during 2010 and 2011. It has since slowed to a more moderate 3.5%, a level expected to continue into 2015.

Africell suspends some mobile services as it struggles to pay tax debts
Burundi remains one of the most attractive African telecom markets for investors. The country has seen stable GDP growth for several years, while it enjoys a high population density.

Morocco’s mobile market approached 135% penetration in early 2015, among the highest penetration rates in the region. All three mobile network operators also provide fixed-line or fixed-wireless services, and the boundaries between fixed and mobile services are disappearing as technologies and services provided by these players converge.

Since the introduction of digital TV to Australia, there have been many additional channels made available to viewers. The transition to digital broadcasting was completed in December 2013. A retuning exercise to align digital TV channels progressed across the country during 2014.

The Australian subscription TV industry is continuing to witness considerable changes. A major shift in 2012 saw AUSTAR merge with the dominant market player FOXTEL. Although FOXTEL has seen steady revenue growth during the last few years the company has struggled to increase pay TV penetration in Australia.

Projects are underway in Yemen to improve telecommunications infrastructure
There is progress towards improving Yemen’s fixed infrastructure with the first phase of the "one-million new lines project” underway.

Mobile penetration in the UAE is among the highest in the world, largely due to the country’s affluence as well as to a significantly sized and fluid population of expatriate workers. Often, consumers own more than one SIM card to take advantage of promotional offers.

Turkey’s mobile market is one of the largest in the region due to its sizeable population. Healthy infrastructure-based competition exists between three mobile network operators that have built GSM/HSPA networks.

Civil war continues to impact on telecoms progress in Syria
With the escalation of the Syrian civil war; the telecoms infrastructure in the country has taken a battering. Since the civil conflict began in 2011, the telephone and Internet lines in Syria have been cut a number of times and there are regular reports of Internet blackouts across the country.

MVNO developments set to shake up Saudi Arabia market
Saudi Arabia offers many opportunities for the future with a strong ICT market which is growing year-on-year and a significant interest from government and enterprises to utilise recent technology developments surrounding cloud computing and smart technologies.

Qatar’s telecoms industry offers a number of opportunities
Given Qatar’s healthy telecommunications industry and corresponding infrastructure; developing the digital economy and broadband services are seen as a key potential growth area for the future.

Many positive aspects to Oman’s telecoms market
Oman’s mobile market has a healthy level of competition, made up of two mobile operators, Oman Mobile and Nawras (rebranded as Ooredoo in 2014) and a number of MVNOs; which have captured over 10% of the mobile subscriber market share.

There are many positive developments occurring in Lebanon which see this countries telecoms sector finally making strident improvements. While it has been known to have slow and expensive Internet access as well as costly and patchy mobile services; the situation is slowly changing with Internet speeds now increasing, mobile call costs coming down and capped data plans being introduced.

Kuwait has a progressive telecoms market but needs more competition
Kuwait has a well developed and progressive telecoms market, offering LTE services, ADSL, FttP and WiMAX services. However Kuwait is one of the few remaining countries in the Middle East where a government ministry, the Ministry of Communications (MoC), acts as both monopoly operator of fixed-line services and regulator.

In 2014 a number of key developments are underway in Jordan, which can only help to further develop this countries progressive telecoms market. With the awarding of the first 4G license to Zain Jordan; a significant step towards 4G services becoming a reality is underway.

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